June 22nd, 9:55 a.m.
Shidou stood in front of the bronze statue of a squatting dog at the east exit of Tenguu Station, a bag slung over his shoulder containing the swimsuit and towels he had bought the previous day.
The statue was famous as a popular meeting spot at Tenguu Station. However, because of another, far more famous loyal dog statue elsewhere, few people called this one by its official name anymore. In fact, even Shidou himself couldn't remember what it was originally called.
"...Ah..."
Shidou groaned softly and pressed a hand against his forehead.
After seeing the video that Kannazuki had played yesterday and fainting, he'd fallen sound asleep.
When he woke up, he found himself in the infirmary aboard Fraxinus.
To be safe, the medical staff ran a few simple tests, but there were no major issues.
Still, his head throbbed a little — especially whenever he recalled the figure standing beside Kotori at the time. Every time he tried to remember, it felt like his brain was being torn apart.
"Are you all right, Shidou?"
A voice came through the earpiece — Kannazuki's.
"I... I should be fine."
As he spoke, Shidou patted his cheeks to wake himself up.
After all, today he had to go on a date with Kotori — and make her fall for him.
It was a daunting task. But if he couldn't accomplish it today, Kotori's consciousness would be completely swallowed by her Spirit powers. There was no room for even the slightest carelessness.
"You remember the plan, right? We'll be providing support from here. You've already made several Spirits fall for you — the one and only playboy savior of the world! Have some confidence in yourself."
"...Yeah, I know..."
Hearing Kannazuki's words of encouragement, Shidou couldn't help but give a wry smile.
What kind of title was that supposed to be? Hardly something to be proud of.
Then another voice — Reine's, calm and emotionless as still water — came through the earpiece.
"Kotori seems to have been transported to the surface. She should arrive at your location any moment now. We're counting on you, Shidou."
"—R-right... got it!"
Taking a deep breath, Shidou steeled himself.
Kotori's very life was on the line — he had to stay focused.
A few moments later, a small figure came running from the street.
She wore a cute short-sleeved blouse decorated with frills, paired with dark brown overalls, and carried a bag that likely held her swimsuit. Her long hair was tied into twin tails, each bound with the familiar black ribbons Kotori often wore.
It had only been two nights since they'd last seen each other, yet for some reason, Shidou felt oddly sentimental.
Maybe it was because the Kotori before him was still the same one he knew — and that alone gave him comfort.
At least for now, she was.
"H-hey there, Kotori."
"Mm. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Kotori nodded slightly as she replied.
A short silence followed.
Talking to his own little sister should've been perfectly ordinary.
But for some reason, Shidou felt so nervous he couldn't get a word out.
Maybe it was because the one he had to "charm" this time was the sister he'd lived with for years — the sheer awkwardness of it made him lose his composure.
"...Shidou, why aren't you saying anything? The first thing you should—"
Almost at the same time as Reine's voice came through the earpiece, Kotori sighed in exasperation.
"When you meet a girl who's clearly dressed up for you, and you just stand there speechless? I taught you this already, didn't I?"
"...! A-ah—"
She was right. He had been reminded of this exact thing during his first meeting with Tohka. How could he forget?
"You... really dressed up today, huh, Kotori."
"...!"
Kotori's shoulders trembled slightly, though her face showed little change.
"Hmph, that's right. We're going on a date, after all... So I have to make sure you're ready to treat it like a real date... Well, not that I mind being complimented either."
"Eh?"
Shidou tilted his head in confusion. What kind of reaction was that supposed to be?
"Never mind. Anyway, the train's about to depart, right?"
Kotori said that and took a few steps toward the station entrance. Then she turned around to face Shidou.
"All right— let's begin our war."
With those words, Kotori gazed into his eyes and flashed a fearless smile.
"O–okay..."
That line sounded all too familiar. Shidou swallowed hard and nodded.
Then—
"Mm!"
"Okay!"
"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to this!"
Three voices followed immediately after Kotori's declaration. Shidou blinked in confusion and turned toward the direction of the voices—
And then froze, as if turned to stone by Medusa's gaze.
Because there stood Tohka and Yoshino — both dressed and ready to go out.
"T-Tohka... Yoshino... and Yoshinon too... W-why are you guys here...?!"
"Eh?"
Tohka tilted her head, looking utterly puzzled.
"What do you mean? Aren't we going to the marine park today?"
"W—what?! How do you even know that?!"
"Why? Well..."
Tohka frowned slightly, confused by his reaction.
"! Wait a sec..."
Shidou held his breath.
Then, from the earpiece, a voice spoke again.
"...Ah, right, I forgot to mention. Today's date — they'll be coming along too."
"W—why...?!"
Shidou asked, sweat dripping down his face.
There had been a time before when he'd gone on a "triple date" by accident... but at least then, each girl had her own turn alone with him. This situation was totally different — all of them together at once!
Reine seemed to think for a moment before answering.
"...I believe that, just for today, this kind of group date will be more effective."
"I–is that so..."
That didn't sound like something Reine would come up with — more like something Kannazuki would pull. Then again, did Kannazuki even like this sort of thing? Not that it mattered.
"But... are you sure this will be okay? What if Kotori gets upset...?"
"...Mm, well... probably... maybe she won't."
"R-really...?"
Even Reine's voice didn't sound all that confident.
Shidou glanced back toward Kotori.
Her expression remained completely still, showing no reaction whatsoever to Tohka and Yoshino's sudden appearance.
"...This looks bad."
Shidou's face twitched slightly.
"Heh... pretty bold move, Shidou. I'm looking forward to it."
Kotori spoke with a gentle smile.
Her face was calm, her tone was soft — yet somehow, it felt like a wolf hiding beneath sheep's clothing. The aura was terrifying enough that Shidou dared not move a muscle.
"Okay then, let's get going!"
While Shidou stood there trembling, Kotori led Tohka and Yoshino toward the ticket gates.
"Shidou! Hurry up and catch up! You can still turn this around. Once you reach the destination, we'll provide full support!"
"R-right..."
Following Kannazuki's urging, Shidou forced his stiff legs to move.
...What a disaster of a date — and it hadn't even started yet.
---
"Hm? What's this?"
Not far away, a tall black-haired girl stood atop a tree branch, gazing curiously at the cluster of buildings filled with laughter in the distance.
"...Guess I'll go take a look."